Auxiliary device for a hot water device

ABSTRACT

An auxiliary device for a hot water device includes a compressor, a condenser, a drier, an expansion valve, an auxiliary system, and an evaporator. The auxiliary system is connected with the evaporator as integral, and heat source is sent into a pipe route of the auxiliary system by a pump. So when lower pressure gas coolant is evaporated in the evaporator, the coolant is heated by the heat source in the pipe route of the auxiliary system. The coolant is in advance heated, so the compressor can reduce electricity for raising the temperature of the coolant. The auxiliary device can be operated regardless of weather condition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVNETION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an auxiliary device for a hot water device, particularly to one possible to make use of heat source in the air or a lukewarm water source to upgrade the operation of a hot water device, for lessening electricity used, keeping safety of the device, making it environment-friendly.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are many conventional hot water devices widely used, such as a gas water heater, an electric water heater, and a solar-energy water heater. However, these water heaters all have their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, a gas water heater has a drawback of gas leaking, consequently involving gas explosion and safety issues about its transportation. In addition, it produces waste gas of carbon dioxide to pollute air, and involving its cost rising up and down.

As for an electric water heater, it needs large amount of electricity, having problems related to energy consumption, too high temperature, and occasional shortage of electricity supply.

As for a solar-energy water heater, it cannot be used in cloudy and rainy days, and moreover, its heat collecting plates also form heat dissipating plates consuming the heat of the water stored in a hot water tank, which can only store a limited amount. Even if an auxiliary heater is used to heat the water after the hot water in the tank is found to be used up, it will take some time to get water heated hot enough for use. Moreover, the heat collecting panels needs a large space, with an auxiliary heater necessary in cloudy and rainy days, and hot water possible to be got from the heat from the solar energy hot water device is limited and not enough for continual use by many persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The feature of the invention is an auxiliary system combined with an evaporator connected with a compressor for sending out high-temperature and high pressured coolant through a high pressure pipe into a condenser connected both with an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe of a hot water tank so as to perform heat exchange between cool water and the hot coolant. Further a pump pumps a heat source into the pipe route of the auxiliary system in the evaporator for making heat exchange with condensed coolant to let the condensed coolant hotter to return to the compressor for compressing and heating the coolant to a high-temperature and high-pressured coolant, which is then again sent into the condenser for performing heat exchange between the hot coolant and cool water to get hot water to be pumped into the outlet pipe into the hot water tank to be stored. Then the condensed high-pressured coolant flows out the condenser and in the high-pressure pipe and then into the drier, the expansion valve and then into the evaporator to become low-pressured coolant for absorbing heat. As the cool condensed coolant is in advance heated by the heat source in the auxiliary system through heat exchange between the both, in a next round of coolant circulation the compressor only needs to raise the temperature of the coolant to become the same high-temperature and high pressured coolant as before. Therefore, the auxiliary device in the invention can operate regardless of weather, possible to permit the hot water device to supply stable hot water incessantly all year round.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the structure of an auxiliary device for a hot water device in the present invention, using air;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the structure of an auxiliary device for a hot water device in the present invention, using water; and,

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the structure of a solar energy hot water device in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of an auxiliary device 1 for a hot water device in the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively illustrating a hot water device using air and that using water, includes a compressor 10, a condenser 11, a drier 12, an expansion valve 13, an auxiliary system 14, and an evaporator 15 as main components.

The compressor 10 is to alter cool coolant into hot and high-pressured coolant, having one end connected to a high-pressure pipe 100 that is connected with the condenser 11. The hot high-pressured coolant flows in the high-pressure pipe 100. The condenser 11 is connected to an inlet pipe 20 and an outlet pipe 21 of a hot water tank 2, and a water pump 22 is provided between the condenser 11 and the hot water tank 2, pumping cool water into the condenser 11 for heat exchange with the hot high-pressured coolant, forming a circulatory hot water heating route. So heated hot water produced by the condenser 11 is sent into the hot water tank 2 via the outlet pipe 21. The hot high-pressured gas coolant in the condenser 11 may be condensed to become high-pressured liquid coolant by heat exchange and to flow through the high pressure pipe 100 to get a little lowered in its temperature, and then into the drier 12, wherein the high-pressured liquidized coolant will get lowered a little in its temperature. Then the high-pressured liquidized coolant flows into the expansion valve 13 into the evaporator 15 to become low-pressured gas coolant possible to absorb the heat of the hot water device and subsequently cooled by the fan 16 to be exhausted out into the open air. As the evaporator 15 is connected with the auxiliary system 14 as integral, the already heated hot gas source or liquid hot source is led into the course of the auxiliary system 14 by the pump 140. The auxiliary system 14 includes a pipe route and the pump 140 connected to the pipe route, a partial portion of the pipe route and the evaporator 15 make up a closed area for carrying out heat exchange. The hot gas source led in may be hot air in the atmosphere, or the exhausted out of the device by the fan 16 and hot air produced by the air surrounding the compressor 10. So in other words, the auxiliary system becomes an auxiliary system taking in hot air as liquid heat source. It is possible to converse the hot gas heat energy into a liquid heat source, which may be the hot water heated by gas, boilers, the solar energy, hot couplings, and of course, possible to include the hot water stored in the hot water tank 2 in the device in the invention, and it is an auxiliary device using water as a heat source.

The auxiliary system 14 heats up the low pressured gas coolant in the evaporator 15 to a high temperature, and the heat sucking fan 16 exhausts the heat of the hot coolant and at the same time induces hot air in the environment from an inlet point into the device by means of the air convection. So the auxiliary system 14 can upgrade heating effect, and finally the hot low-pressured gas is drawn back by the compressor 10 through the low pressure pipe 150 to be compressed and raised in its pressure and temperature for next round of circulation.

As can be understood, the auxiliary system 14 can use hot gas or liquid as a heat source for the hot water auxiliary device 1, so the led-in gas heat source may be hot air in the atmosphere, or a hot liquid source converted from hot gas. At the same time, the led-in liquid source can be hot water heated by gas, a boiler, solar energy, or heat couples. Thus the hot energy brought in by gas or liquid can raise the temperature of the coolant so that the coolant may not lose much temperature during passing through the evaporator 15. In other words, the temperature of the coolant differs from that of the compressor 10 not so much. So the compressor 10 does not need to produce much larger calorie for raising the temperature, but only a little to produce the same high temperature high pressured gas. Therefore, the electricity used by the compressor 10 may be reduced for a large amount, saving much expense for electricity, preventing waste in energy source effectively. As a result, the auxiliary device 1 for a hot water device has an upgraded effect, possible to keep stabilized water temperature, without fear of scalding by carelessness, keeping continual supply of hot water, not giving rise to insufficient supply caused by long heating time.

In general, the auxiliary device 1 has the auxiliary system 14, it can be positioned any where in regardless of a place in the door or out of the door or a weather condition sunny, cloudy or rainy, usable in any season all year around.

Next, FIG. 3 shows an auxiliary system 14 provided with a solar energy heat-collecting device 14, which is composed of a heat collecting panels 170 and a heat-collecting pipe 171. The solar energy heat collecting device 14 has one end connected to the heat collecting pipe 171 and the heat collecting pipe 171 is connected to the pump 140 of the auxiliary system 14, making up a heat circulatory route. The heat source of the auxiliary system 14 is supplied by the solar energy heat collecting device 17, which absorbs solar energy by the heat collecting panels 170 in advance and then heats up the coolant in the heat collecting pipe 171 and then collected to be pumped by the pump 140 in the circulatory route of the auxiliary system 14.

The invention has the following advantages, as can be seen from the foresaid description.

-   -   1. It can be positioned indoors or outdoors.     -   2. It does not be affected by weather condition.     -   3. It uses electricity very little.     -   4. It can control the water temperature stable.     -   5. It does not cause heat shortage or disruption of hot water.     -   6. It does not let water produce fur.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1-8. (canceled)
 9. An auxiliary device for a hot water device comprising: a) a hot water tank having: i) inlet pipe; ii) an outlet pipe; and iii) a pump; b) a compressor compressing a coolant and forming a hot and pressurized coolant; c) a condenser connected to the compressor and receiving the hot and pressurized coolant, the pump of the hot water tank pumping water from the hot water tank through the condenser and back into the hot water tank; d) a drier connected to the condenser and receiving and cooling the hot and pressurized coolant and forming a pressurized coolant; e) an expansion valve connected to the drier and dropping the pressure of the pressurized coolant and forming a low pressurized coolant; f) an evaporator connected between the expansion valve and the compressor; and g) an auxiliary heating system connected to the evaporator and providing a heat source for the evaporator, wherein the evaporator converting the low pressurized coolant into a hot low pressurized coolant utilizing the heat source of the auxiliary system.
 10. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot gas.
 11. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot liquid.
 12. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot air from the hot water device.
 13. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot air from a heat coupling.
 14. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot air heated by gas.
 15. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot liquid heated by solar energy.
 16. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, wherein the heat source is a hot liquid heated by solar energy supplied by a solar energy heating device having at least one heat collecting panel and a heat pipe connected to the evaporator. 